| My bag topped out at 32 kilos or about 70 pounds as | | | | distracted. I know that I will be requesting paper and |
| I gave an innocent look to the ticket agent at BWI | | | | a pen to write down my goals or to design a poem. |
| airport. I thought I was doing well as I had at least | | | | This mantra of less is more was evidenced two |
| three extra inches of room depth for additional items | | | | weeks ago when I worked with a financial company |
| inside of the bag. The ticket agent informed me that | | | | to simplify the presentations of four of their |
| they weren't allowed to take on a bag weighing over | | | | executives. I like to 'Begin with the End in Mind' if I |
| 30 kilos, so I used my backup portable bag to | | | | can borrow one of Stephen Covey's 7 Habits. I |
| transfer some of the weight. I needed to take a | | | | asked each presenter this simple question. "If |
| wide variety of items and clothing for activities that | | | | somebody in your audience heard you speak and |
| ranged from hiking and casual city clothing to the | | | | they were interviewed by a newspaper reporter, |
| theatre plus all of my camera gear. I did manage to | | | | what are the three things you would want that |
| get 3 kilos into my backup bag, but I still had to pay | | | | person to remember from your presentation?" |
| $30 for a heavy bag charge. Taking less 'stuff' on | | | | Studies have shown that an audience remembers |
| multi-week travels has always been a challenge, | | | | about 60% of a presentation after one hour, 40% |
| especially when my empty bag weights 12 kilos! | | | | after one day and only 10% after one week. We |
| When I do travel, it gives me the opportunity to | | | | worked on those simple things that they wanted |
| simplify. An older tee shirt gets tossed, a finished | | | | people to remember and then weaved them through |
| book is left at the in-laws and the original Bose noise | | | | each person's presentation. Another interesting |
| canceling headphones get the black electrical tape | | | | development was the number of key phrases and |
| upgrade. Writer Paul Theroux wrote an article in | | | | messages that emerged from inside their |
| Town and Country Magazine reminding me of the | | | | presentations. The more we practiced, the more |
| power of simplicity. He talked about the Japanese | | | | items bubbled to the surface and replaced the original |
| term wabi-sabi , which basically means, "Pare down | | | | key messages. Throughout the process, the |
| to the essence, but don't forget the poetry." He was | | | | presenters became more focused too. |
| extolling the virtues of technology, but at the same | | | | Amazing innovations can occur in simplistic |
| time reminding us to not be tethered to them. I'm | | | | environments where people are more focused. In the |
| not traveling with a cell phone and when I do go | | | | MacDowell Colony, the nation's oldest and most |
| exploring, I take my film camera, as I left my digital | | | | famous artist colony, people work in isolated cabins |
| one at home. This arrangement allows me to go into | | | | that contain a bed and desk. Each studio has large |
| a city with my journal, one film camera and at most | | | | picture windows and the studios are not equipped |
| two lenses. I feel that by bringing less with me, I get | | | | with the modern conveniences of Internet access, |
| to know the area where I am exploring and the | | | | television, phones or radios. According to an article in |
| people who make up the area that much better. | | | | the Wall Street Journal on the place, "Participants say |
| Also, there is a sense of freedom to know that my | | | | the reduced distractions make them so productive |
| thoughts in Battersea Park admiring the Peace | | | | that a week at MacDowell is the equivalent of four |
| Pagoda in London won't be disturbed by a computer | | | | elsewhere. Novelist Mary Higgins Clark and composer |
| generated ring tone. | | | | Aaron Copeland both worked at MacDowell during an |
| Perhaps a fortunate result of the busted terror plot | | | | eight-week fellowship. When organizations send |
| in London will be the simplification of what we can | | | | employees to MacDowell, employees are in an |
| bring onto the plane in the form of carry-on baggage. | | | | unconventional setting where distractions are reduced |
| I am sure that the items I brought over with me: my | | | | and connections across disciplines occur. This sparks |
| film camera, laptop in a backpack, lenses, tripod in a | | | | an amazing amount of creativity and conversation all |
| long case and a 1.5 Liter water bottle on a royal blue | | | | in a simplified environment. |
| strap will resemble something very different if the | | | | This power of simplicity is further evidenced in |
| new hand luggage restrictions become permanent. In | | | | photography. The more the simple shapes of the |
| an article in the London Times, the following articles | | | | triangle, square and circle are used, the more |
| are being banned right now out of Heathrow | | | | powerful a photograph becomes. In my photograph, |
| International Airport: handbags, books (possibly my | | | | 'Windmills of Patmos' you can easily discern the |
| journal), cameras, iPods, laptops, magazines, food, all | | | | triangles of the roofs atop the windmills and the |
| liquids and nothing is to be carried in one's pockets. I | | | | square or rectangular shape of the buildings |
| tend to drink quite a bit of water when I fly as the | | | | themselves. Some photographs will have all three |
| cabins on airplanes are about as dry as the Sahara | | | | shapes while others will just have one shape that is |
| Desert. The less people working on their computers | | | | recognizable. The main reason why simple |
| and PDA's might mean more conversations with their | | | | photographs are powerful is that we can focus on |
| neighbors. When faced with the in-flight movie and | | | | the subject in the frame and not get distracted by a |
| the airline magazine for five or more hours, I might | | | | busy background. Remember, the next time you |
| take up meditation instead. | | | | take a trip, deliver a presentation or even take a |
| Having less to do on a flight means we have the | | | | photograph, the less that you have will make for a |
| opportunity for a greater focus. We are less | | | | richer experience and it just might save you $30. |